Cleveland Beer Week offers nine days of brewing goodness

The second annual Cleveland Beer Week will run Oct. 15-23 and will feature hundreds of craft-beer tastings, dinners, demonstrations, leisure activities, educational programs and specials at bars, restaurants and beer retailers in the Greater Cleveland area.

Named one of the Road Trips for Beer Top 10 fall beer festivals, Cleveland Beer Week was established as a not-for-profit, collaborative celebration to raise awareness of the craft and import beer industry – particularly in Ohio – and promote local beer establishments.

The 2009 event featured 500 events at more than 120 venues.

Here are some of the highlights planned for the 2010 Cleveland Beer Week:

The Ohio Craft Brewers Association has organized a collaboration that will produce six custom beers packaged specially for Cleveland Beer Week. Breweries participating in the largest known collaboration of its kind in the world include Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Cornerstone Brewery, Buckeye Brewing, Indigo Imp, Hoppin’ Frog, Rocky River Brewing Company, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cellar Rats, Black Box Brewing Company, Fat Heads, The Brew Kettle, and Willoughby Brewing. The beers will be available in mixed 12-packs at retailers and on tap at the collaborating locations. ·

On Friday, October 15, at 7 p.m., Cleveland Beer Week will open with “Grains vs. Grapes: The Ultimate Match-up,” an official keg tapping and four-course dinner, at Crowne Plaza Cleveland City Center in downtown Cleveland (777 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland 44113). Special guests Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, and Marianne Frantz, president of the American Wine School in Cleveland, will discuss craft beers and wines they have paired with a multi-course menu created by the Michael Symon Restaurant Group. Jimmy Malone of Cleveland radio’s WMJI will serve as master of ceremonies and all proceeds benefit the Malone Scholarship Fund that is managed by Cleveland Scholarship Programs. Advance tickets are required and are $75 per person.

The Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers (SNOBS) is sponsoring a “Son of BREWzilla Homebrew Competition” at Fat Heads Brewery and Saloon (24581 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, Ohio) on Saturday, October 23, at 9 a.m.; winners will be announced and prizes awarded at Cleveland Beer Week’s BREWzilla event that evening. The “Best of Show” panel of judges includes Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing Co., Andy Tveekrem formerly of Dogfish Head, and Matt Cole of Fat Heads Brewery. The winning Best of Show entry will be brewed professionally by Fat Heads for the 2011 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am held in Denver, Colorado.

Cleveland Beer Week will conclude with BREWzilla: A Monster of a Beer Tasting, on Saturday, October 23 at the Galleria at Erieview in downtown Cleveland (1301 East Ninth Street, Cleveland, 44113). BREWzilla will feature more than 100 breweries; a special “Ohio Brewery” area with various beers from local breweries as well as all 2010 collaborative brews; and food selections courtesy of Winking Lizard and Heinen’s including an Angus hot dog bar, beef brisket and vegetable hoagies, and various cheese stations organized by the style of beer with which they best pair. Additionally, Cleveland Beer Week has commissioned Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Tremont to design a chocolate creation inspired by a local brewer. Tickets for the Brewer’s Circle are $75 and include event admittance at 6 p.m., the opportunity to taste rare brews in the new “Brewer’s Circle Lounge” open all evening, and a commemorative Cleveland Beer WeekT-shirt. General admission tickets are $50 for admittance from 7-11 p.m. All proceeds benefit the Malone Scholarship Fund.

And if you would prefer to use your iPhone to navigate the celebration, you’re in luck: Cleveland Beer Week and Cleveland marketing firm thunder::tech launched an iPhone app that allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to view details of 375 events taking place between Oct. 15 and 23. You can download the free app here.

[…] calendar. In addition to a boatload of festivals (see our sister site’s review of the Cleveland Beer Walk), there are several theaters downtown and a regular stream of shows take the stage here. The Rock […]